


Here we go, Again

by DieuAnh



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men (Ultimateverse), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Domestic!AU, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:58:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6923104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DieuAnh/pseuds/DieuAnh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you sure there's nothing I can say to persuade you to stay?"<br/>In which Charles succeeds in persuading. Erik stays and helps raise the kids.</p><p>One stormy night, Raven brings home a scared little girl.</p><p>In which Erik has the chance to have it all again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pilot

Five months after being run to the ground by Apocalypse, Xavier's School for the Gifted was rebuilt and efficiently put back into work. Already, the students were filling out their dorm and classrooms, awing at the newer and larger facility.

His study doesn't look much different, Charles thought. The mahogany desk, the shelves filled with books,... It was as if Apocalypse was nothing but one of the demons that haunts him in his sleep, the product of his wild imagination. But then the scar left imprinted on his mind in the wake of the Egypt God felt too raw and jagged edged to be a dream. Too  _real._  He still tasted blood in his nostrils with each breath taken.

A hand placed on his shoulder and Charles jumped, remembering the gripping, dead weight of Apocalypse's hand on him.

"Sorry" Erik said, withdrawing his hand. Wild emotions flashed through his eyes, too fleeting to catch, but it was quickly tamed. Charles didn't realize he had entered the room.

"It's alright, my friend. I just lost myself in thoughts" They both looked out the window at the children playing football outside, basked in the golden sun. This was all Charles had wanted, had worked for. Finally, the missing pieces were found and the present was a serene, blissful picture.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning" Erik's voice shattered the picture. Charles' heart fell. And he always knew that Erik would eventually leave but still, it hurt. 

"To where?" He questioned quietly, as if Charles was afraid that if he said it too loud, he would wake himself up and this perfect image would disappear. When Erik didn't answer, Charles turned to him with a query look. The man stood with his hands in his pockets, head bowed down, looking at the tips of his shoe. Only then did it occur to Charles that Erik had no answer to that question: he didn't have a home to go back to anymore. And Charles didn't mean to be intrusive but the Erik was unconsciously projecting his pain and grief. It broke Charles' heart.

"Wherever it's I'm supposed to be." He shrugged as though it was a minor detail not worth considering. Charles knew it wasn't. Because that's what Erik  _do_. He dismissed pains and agonies and then channeled them into anger. The man was self-destructive, a walking time bomb.

When they had been on the beach in Cuba, Charles remembered, it had been him who told Erik to walk away and then basically blamed Erik for every misfortune they had. Charles knew very well then that the people of the US Navy and the Russian Submarine would have continue to open fire at them anyway. Charles knew very well then that his paralysis wasn't Erik's fault. When they had worked together to stop the Sentinels from being created, Charles had been the one to sever their ties. "You abandon me" He had spitted at Erik like it was poison; but he shut Erik out anyway. Charles had left Erik alone in his weakest moments. And look how that had turned out?

"Stay" Charles offered. And he meant it. His friend was lost and he wasn't going to close the door on him. Erik snorted. He seemed to find the idea ridiculous.

"Charles, you're not going to let  _Magneto_  roam you campus freely, are you?"

"I'm serious, Erik. The school is bigger now. And more students are applying than ever. Even with Raven, how can we possibly manage a campus of hundred of children? Not to mention when the time comes, and we know it will come, the kids need protection."

Erik was suddenly very serious. He scowled at Charles with such incredibility and his hand balled into a tight fist in his pockets.

"Charles, come on! I... can't."

"Yes! Yes you can, Erik!" Charles snapped. He turned his wheelchair around to face the other man directly. Their eyes met and they stayed like that for a moment too long. Charles held his breath.

"Erik, please!" This time, Charles' voice goes quiet. His eyes soften, pleading. Erik adverted his glare elsewhere but Charles’ face then he made a grunting noise, crossed his arms defensively.

"Don't you dare say I didn't warn you, Xavier.” He said mockingly, stalking toward the door "If- _When_ troubles do come, I'd be saying 'I told you so, Charles'." And with that he left.

"We have an open position in Physics!" Charles yelled after Erik before the man managed to get out of earshot. Inside, the professor was celebrating this rare occurred victory.

 

* * *

 

 

The students are scared of Erik. That much was clear after 3 months of him staying at the Xavier residence.

Fair enough, the professor mused. After all, he does appear on the TV from times to times trying to assassinate the President. The media seemed to have fully exploited the one footage they had.

But no! The students are not afraid of the infamous _Magneto_. They're afraid of Erik Lensherr, Professor of Physics and Engineering. Charles couldn't decide if he was more amused or concerned each time they passed a student in the hallway and they automatically straighten up; or every time they reply to Erik with “Sir, Yes Sir!” almost instinctively.

Right now, he is watching from the hall of the second floor as 3 of the new students – Philly, Kitty and Bobby - discussing what to do with a window they had broken while playing baseball. Philly thought they should leave the “crime scene” before any of the staff notice; Kitty wanted to tell Professor Xavier – her favorite teacher since he was the kindest (Charles smiled at that) and would surely forgive them; Bobby, well… he just panicked. None of them notice Professor Lensherr approaching. Yet.

“What are you doing, hotshot?” Raven called from behind him, hitting Charles on his shoulder playfully with her manila file. Raven looked over his shoulders, curious of what her sibling was paying much of his attention on. She saw the fifth graders and Erik. “Ohhh boy, I feel bad for those kids!” Said the blue girl dramatically.

She finished her sentence just as Philly spotted Erik. He screamed and broke out running before morphing into a sparrow and flew inside the house. A girl froze at his sight before seemingly sink through the ground and vanished. Only Bobby was left to take responsibility.

“Raven, do you think he’s too harsh on the kids?”

“No Charles, it’s his face.” She answered flatly. At the other’s aching eyebrow, she elaborated, “You know, the shark-like smile with too many teeth?” She made a point to wave her hands around. “Never mind. You worry too much Charles. You wouldn’t have let Erik stay here if you don’t trust him with the kids. Have a little faith in your judgment.”

“I suppose… Uh, Raven? Where are you going?”

“Oh, these!” She held up the files she had been holding. “Some of my sources seemed to think that they are kidnapping mutants and performing experiments on them in these warehouses. I did some field researches myself. Activities in the area are pretty low-key for a lab – Probably nothing so I won’t need the team. But I’ll check it out just to be sure. Oh, and I’m taking Jean with me. She could use some work on her reflexes."

At her brother’s disapproval grimace, Raven bended down and pecked him goodbye on the cheek “Don’t worry, old man. We’ll be back before 9.”

Then she walked away.

“Be careful, Raven.” She turned around and stuck her tongue out.

“Yes, _Mom~_ ” She dragged the word out mockingly. 

For a moment, Charles thought he was seeing a ghost of the past. This was a side of Raven they both had long forgotten: playful, childish, _happy_. And there's nothing Charles would want for Raven more than for her to be happy.

“And Raven, darling?” Charles suddenly remembered the poor boy currently being reprimanded by Erik “Rescue Bobby on the way to your Jet for me, will you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for reading!  
> I'm sorry if you've encounter some bad grammar. The fic is unBeta-d. 
> 
> If you like the story so far, hit kudo and comment below. It'd mean alot to me!!  
> If you find a that the story's got some potential, also comment below to tell me what can I do to improve my writing.  
> Again, thank you so much for your support!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He reached over with his hand and could feel Charles stopped breathing. The tiny gasp the telepath made was intoxicating..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was astonished at the amount of support I received over the last chapter. I've heard somewhere that AO3 has quite the tradition of staying silent; but I guess I was wrong!  
> You guys are terrific!

There was a light knock on the door.

“Yes, come in.” Charles said without even looking up from his papers. He heard the door opened and closed with a ‘click’ and then footsteps approaching. It stopped midway.

“Am I interrupting?”

He had half-expected a student – they usually come to him afterschool with questions regarding homework, but to Charles’s delightful surprise, he was welcomed by the sight of Erik in his black turtleneck standing a few feet from the door.

“No, of course not! Please, come in! I’m just finishing grading some papers.” He forced a tired smile. Erik looked concerned.

“Charles, it’s 9 in the evening! You need to take a break. The latest class ended 4 hours ago- ”

“It couldn’t be _that_ late, is it?” It was, he realized, looking outside the window. The sky was a pitch-black canvass of nothingness: there were no stars, no moonlight tonight, just the winds howling and heavy drops of rains tapping loudly on the glass.

“ –And you’re not even eating properly.”

They both eyed the half-eaten meal on Charles’ desk. Erik crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking down at Charles disapprovingly, daring him to argue. Charles, of course, couldn’t. Erik was right: he had been burying himself in works ever since the school was back up and running to make sure everything went perfectly. It did not help that the workload was getting heavier and heavier as new students come flocking in after the last worldwide incident. It also didn’t help that the Government was putting even more interest in them, having the Xavier resident monitored 24/7 via agents and ‘hidden’ cameras.

Charles kept telling everyone - even himself - the reason was as simple as that: there are works to be done. But he knew it was the feeling of solitude he was running away from. Sometimes, when Charles was alone and couldn’t be distracted by the vibrant buzzing of another mind’s presence, he could almost feel the foreign phantom of a connection that once linked him and Apocalypse; it felt like the ancient Egypt God was still there in the back of his consciousness. Busying himself with extra work until exhaustion knocks him out at night was how Charles had been keeping the nightmares at bay. Right now though, he felt guilty at Erik’s concern.

“You know, if you weren’t already are- ” Erik continued “I’d say that putting this much stress on yourself would make you go bald, Charles.”

Charles looked up to find his friend grinning from ear to ear.

“Very funny, Erik” He pouted, but the tension was gone, replaced by a lighthearted atmosphere “How long have you waited to tell that joke?”

“My apologies” Erik grinned, clearly not one bit feeling sorry “Now comes with me. Let see if I could keep you away from work long enough.”

Only then did Charles notice the chessboard hovering behind Erik’s shoulder. With a wave of a hand, Charles’ wheelchair moved on its own, following the metal manipulator’s step. Erik settled himself on the sofa near the entrance and the wheelchair stopped, positioning the two of them face to face. Between them sat the coffee table. Slowly, the board and the pieces fell into their places.

“For old time’s sake” Erik leaned forward, meeting Charles’ eyes and held the contact there for a moment.

“You know it has been 10 years since I last played” Erik lifted a black Knight to eye-level and toyed with it midair. For a brief second, his glance seemed far away, haunted: like he was looking at the chess piece and saw ghosts of the past fleeting by.

Charles fought the idea of using his telepath to see what Erik saw. Always, the mysterious memories locked away in the depth of the other’s thought enthralled him; Charles has never known anyone else with nearly this many secrets. But the telepath decided against abusing his power. Instead, he moved a white Pawn forward, starting the game.

“Don’t worry, old friend. I’ll go easy on you”

 

* * *

 

One hour into the game, Erik had lost both of his Rooks and a Bishop to Charles, whom, to Erik’s comfort, wasn’t doing any better having lost a Rook, three Pawns and a Bishop. Charles was chatting away as the match progressed.

For the first time in months, Erik let himself really look at Charles. Aside from the recent loss of his hair (which he loved to make fun of), Charles hadn’t changed much over two decades: from his fragile jawline, his nose, the quirk of his mouth, the way he worries his lips to the clear, alluring cerulean of his eyes that shine with everything good left in the world. A pond of cool water against Magneto’s red-hot anger.

With Charles, he felt sane.

And Erik never really stopped aching for that sanity. He had truly loved Magda – a wonderful, beautiful human being whom Erik would have spent his life with given the chance; but even with her, he felt a daily stab of hunger for Charles. Right now, having him so close, basked in the warm gold of light, Erik throbbed for him with every fiber of his being.

“Checkmate.” Said Charles, moving his Knight forward “Anyway, you see, that arse Henry Kissinger won a Nobel Prize. A bloody Nobel Peace Prize, for God’s sake! But then all hell broke loose when they found out about Watergate. At which point, the people’s confidence in the gov-… Erik, are you listening?”

Erik wasn’t. He had been staring at Charles.

“…Erik?!”

He reached over with his hand and could feel Charles stopped breathing. The tiny gasp the telepath made was intoxicating and Erik could hear blood rushing in his ears and his heart was drumming frantically. He longed to touch Charles’ abused mouth, to kiss the coppery taste of blood off of Charles’ chapped lips. And Charles had not shied away from him. May be, if he lean in a bit closer… just this time…

Then he remembered the way Charles flinched when he touched his shoulder; remembered how the Sentinels under his control had almost killed Charles; remembered that he himself was the one deprived Charles of his ability to walk for the rest of his life. It hit Erik suddenly that his hands never knew how to be gentle and that they would feel too rough on Charles’ skin.

Erik stopped abruptly and slowly retreated to the couch.

“You’re bleeding.”

He said instead, voice so low it vibrated through the air. Charles let out the breath he was holding and shuddered. A blush bloomed on his cheek.

“…Sorry! I bite my lips while I’m thinking – It’s just a bad habits”

Charles ran his tongue through his blood-smeared, dry lips. Erik cleared his throat and returned his whole focus to the board game.

How foolish! He was lusting after something he could not have - could never have. The war didn’t raise him to know tender; so didn’t the Nazi. And if there was anything he was good at, Erik was good at violence. And Charles… Charles would always forgive him, no matter what he did. It would kill Erik if he hurt Charles anymore than he already had. Moreover, he thought, Charles’ heart lay with someone else and had been so for the last 20 years.

“So… how does thing go between you and Moira?” said Erik, who at the moment found himself strangely interested in the designing of his Queen piece. He pulled and twisted the metal until unrecognizable then morphed it back into shape. Finally, he put it down to capture the white Knight posing threat to his King.

“Actually, Moira and I, we– …” Charles trailed off before falling silent. When he did not continue, Erik looked away from the chessboard and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Charles?”

“I’m sorry, Erik. Something is not right… the students are projecting.”

Just as he finished the sentence, they both heard running steps echoing down the hall leading to Charles’ study and then hectic poundings on the door.

“Professor Xavier! PROFESSOR XAVIER!!”

It was Summers.

Erik turned the doorknob and let him in. The kid looked disheveled and out of breathes.

“Professor, it’s Jean!”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the late update. But I was in the process of preparing for college so between classes and family, I can hardly find the time to write.  
> Also, I meant for the chapter to be longer but then the cut is awkward so I moved the last part to the next chapter so hopefully the next chap will be updated soon.  
> And finally, no beta. You have been warned.


End file.
